Sergeant Major Lewis E. Tuttle and Major O’Toole pose with an old woman in the “Arizona Territory.” The photo was originally shot as a joke, since the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, was operating in the area known as the “Arizona Territory” at the same time the Miss Universe contest was being held in Tokyo. September, 1969. NARA 532486

This isn’t your average work line! These Vietnamese workers are loading brass artillery canisters, by tossing them into the back of a truck. The canisters (or at least those that make it into the bed of the truck rather than the floor) would be shipped to the U.S. where they would be reworked and reloaded.

This exhibition presents both iconic and recently discovered National Archives records related to 12 critical episodes in the Vietnam War. They trace the policies and decisions made by the architects of the conflict and help untangle why the United States became involved in Vietnam, why it went on so long, and why it was so divisive for American society.

This exhibition presents both iconic and recently discovered National Archives records related to 12 critical episodes in the Vietnam War. They trace the policies and decisions made by the architects of the conflict and help untangle why the United States became involved in Vietnam, why it went on so long, and why it was so divisive for American society.